Glass Museums

• Rhode Island School of Design Museum
  2 College St. Providence, RI 02903
  401-331-3511
• Rhode Island Historical Society
  110 Benevolent St. Providence, RI 02906
  401-331-8575

• Charleston Museum
  360 Meeting St. Charleston, SC 29403
  803-722-2996

• Houston Antique Museum
  201 High St. Chattanooga, TN 37403
  423-267-7176
  
  Although billed as a general-line antique museum, it houses one of America's finest collections of glassware. Especially noteworthy is a pitcher collection numbering in the thousands. Satin, Sandwich, Tiffany, Peachblow, Burmese, Amberina, Bristol, Cameo, and Cranberry varieties are represented. Early American, French and English glass, pottery, and furniture well represented. The Houston Museum houses the fabulous decorative arts collection of the late Anna Safley Houston, one of the finest in the world, featuring antique glass, ceramics, furniture and much more. Incidentally, Mrs. Houston collected husbands as well as objects; nine have been documented and there may have been as many as a dozen. Her story is as fascinating as the collection is valuable.More specific to Early American Pattern Glass, the collection includes chocolate, custard, flint, slag, milk and vaseline glass, among other types. Mrs. Houston collected 15,000 pitchers in more than 600 patterns, including frosted amber Klondike and Holly Amber. The exhibit includes not only pitchers, but also platters, plates, creamers, salts, cup plates, compotes, cruets, whimsies, miniature lamps, and the like. Among some of the more unusual pieces of pressed glass on display are a blue Roman Helmet butter dish, a cobalt B&S "Lafayet" boat salt, and several shelves of Coin glass.
• Brooks Memorial Art Gallery
  Overton Park, Memphis, TN 38112
  901-722-3500

• Bennington Museum
  West Main St. Bennington, VT 05201
  802-447-1571
  
  The American innovation of pressing glass in the 1820's was considered the greatest achievement in glass manufacturing since Roman times, as it allowed more efficiency. With this advancement, glass became cheaper and available to a greater portion of the population. Examples of early lacy glass furniture knobs, cup plates, dishes and oil lamps, as well as later plainer geometric designs and pattern glass sets made in New England and the Midwest are exhibited. Featured are over 1000 pressed goblets produced between 1840 and 1900 and more than 200 salt dishes dating from the 1820s to the 1850s. A premier collection of Early American Glass. (The museum is currently, 2004, being remodeled and the glass display is limited) Goblet display at Bennington, photo courtesy Gerry Daniels.
• Shelburne Museum
  P.O. Box 10, Rt.7, Shelburne, VT 05482
  802-985-3346
  
  American fine, folk, and decorative and utilitarian arts include architecture, transportation as well as New England glass.
• John Strong Mansion
  West Addison, VT 05491
  802-759-2309

• Chrysler Museum Institute of Glass
  Olney Rd & Mowbray Arch, Norfolk,VA 23510
  804-622-1211
  
  Ancient to modern glass from Asia, Africa, Europe, Sandwich, Tiffany, Galle, New England, American, English , French, German, and Italian. Other art objects are very extensive. Mr. Chrysler's personal collections were the basis of this museum.